When the shooting stopped the peddling started
Bicycles, small motors, and Italy’s post-war recovery.
As is true for Europe in general, World War II wrought havoc with Italy’s people, infrastructure and economy. While Italy surrendered in 1943 in the face of the Allied advance, intensive bombing to dislodge the stubborn German forces utterly devasted the country’s industrial infrastructure. Most Italian motorcycle enthusiasts know as a fundamental fact that Ducati’s Borgo Panigale factory on the outskirts of Bologna was not spared and though largely reduced to rubble, it rose again from the ashes.
The challenges facing post-war Italy were numerous, not the least being to find a means of transport for the masses given that so much had been destroyed. While the bricks and mortar may have been wiped out, the engineering ingenuity had not, and in its traditional stronghold in the north it would provide the fertile soil for first green shoots of recovery. Bologna had long enjoyed a reputation for producing outstanding bicycles, with numerous manufacturers developing innovative mechanicals and techniques, so it was a foregone conclusion that in the economically straightened period immediately after the shooting stopped, that bicycles would emerge as the most viable and affordable means of personal transport and even for small delivery work. The bicycle had become symbolic of a newfound freedom.
The Bologna bicycle masters, ever alert to any possible improvement of their machines, soon seized on the availability of the crop of new small motors and the potential for fitting them to bicycles with the obvious aim of relieving the fatigue factor of prolonged pedalling. The low cost of acquiring the vehicle together with the extreme economy of running the little engines made the powered bicycle an instant hit and in short order the national market was flooded with scores of small motors in search of frames.
Most enthusiasts would also be familiar with Ducati’s Cucciolo (“puppy”), so named because of its “yappy” engine note. The little 48cc 4-stroke engine was originally produced by S.I.A.T.A (Societa Italiana Applicazioni Techiche Auto-Aviatore) of Torino, but as production demands came to exceed the company’s capacity, in 1946 a deal was struck with Ducati to produce the engine. ►
The Cucciolo was not however confined exclusively to Ducati and the engine was taken up by any number of bicycle builders such as Meotti and Verlicchi to power their machines. Nor did Ducati have the field to itself with the yapping puppy. There was competition from well-regarded small engine builders/suppliers like Mosquito and Alpina and bicycle manufacturers including AMF Gloria and M.A.B.-Albor who kept things in-house by producing their own small engines.
The roll call of producers of powered bicycles is impressive, and aside from those already mentioned, marques to be found on Italian streets of the time included Motori Dardo, Cremonini, O.C.C., Balanti, Cimatti and Malaguti. Virtually all of these historic marques have disappeared from view, save for a few examples preserved in museums and private collections – and possibly mouldering away in the back of some nonno’s shed, yet to be discovered. These were the forerunners of a crop of conventional motorcycles with small engines that in turn gave way to the evolution of larger machines and the post-war revival of Italy’s motorcycle industry. Of this early history not all is lost, as from that ghost fleet of powered pedallers, Malaguti survives to the present day, staying true to its philosophy of building only small-capacity motorcycles, while marques such as Ducati evolved and went on to achieve global fame. So it was that when the smoke of battle had cleared, the sound of gunfire was replaced by the sputter of tiny engines as the Italians pedalled and powered their way to a new era and a brighter future.
Not just in Italy
Coined as a category called Cyclemotors, post-war Britain came to embrace the concept which the Continentals had long favoured. In essence, these were small power units that could be attached to bicycles without changing the unit itself, which could revert to their original (pedalpowered) use any time. The Cyclemotors were also free of the punitive Purchase Tax and usually between 25 and 50cc, capable of propelling the rider up to 25mph (40km/h) and return something like 250 miles per gallon. While several such designs were manufactured under licence from French or Italian companies, several were entirely home-spun.
In addition to the ‘clip-on’ motors, there were several specially designed pedal cycles into which the engine was built as an integral part. In this latter category, one of the most popular in the early ‘fifties was the 25.7cc Cyclemaster, built into the rear wheel and incorporating a back-pedal brake and a free-engine clutch with chain drive. Others, such as the French-made Velosolex, used a 45cc two-stroke engine attached above the front wheel and transmitting power via a friction roller to the front tyre tread and were sold as a complete machine. The frame was similar to a lady’s bicycle, with a large diameter U-shaped main frame to support the weight of the engine. The pedals were only required to start the engine, and when going up steep hills. ■